Apparatus for converting waste material into fertilizer

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DECOMPOSING THROUGH THE ACTION OF AEROBIC BACTERIA GROUND PULP PRODUCED FROM ORGANIC WASTE MATERIAL, COMPRISING A SERIES OF ELONGATED, SUPERPOSED, VERTICALLY SPACED, STATIONARY DECKS, MEANS TO DELIVER GROUND PULP TO THE UPPER ONE OF SAID DECKS ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF TO FORM A LAYER OF GROUND PULP ON SAID UPPER DECK, MEANS TO ADVANCE SAID GROUND PULP AS A LAYER LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID UPPER DECK AND SUCCESSIVELY LONGITUDINALLY OF SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID DECKS, SAID VERTICAL SPACING OF SAID DECKS BEING SUFFICIENT TO AFFORD AN AIR SPACE ABOVE THE LAYER OF PULP ON EACH OF SAID DECKS, SAID ADVANCING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RAKE ELEMENTS AND POWER MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID RAKE ELEMENTS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID DECKS, SAID RAKE ELEMENTS CONTACTING SAID GROUND PULP ON SAID DECKS AND SERVING SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ADVANCE AND AGITATE SAID GROUND PULP WHEREBY ALL PORTIONS OF SAID GROUND PULP ARE REPEATEDLY BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE AIR IN SAID AIR SPACES TO PERMIT AEROBIC BACTERIAL ACTION, MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST CONVEYOR MECHANISM AND AN ADJUSTABLE GATE MECHANISM ARRANGED IN OPERATIVE RELATION WITH AN INTERMEDIATE ONE OF SAID DECKS TO REMOVE FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE DECK ANY DESIRED PORTION OF THE GROUND PULP THEREON, MEANS TO SUPPLY COMMINUTED MATERIAL TO AT LEAST A SELECTED ONE OF SAID DECKS, A SECOND CONVEYOR MECHANISM ARRANGED TO TRANSFER GROUND PULP FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MECHANISM TO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR MECHANISM, AND MEANS TO DISCHARGE DECOMPOSED GROUND PULP FROM THE LOWERMOST ONE OF SAID DECKS.